"I really kind of felt violated, you know, like when you get robbed. And, I just kept thinking, 'Identity theft, identity theft,'" Allen said.

Allen's letter said a check she wrote for $179.01 did not go through.

"I thought, 'Goodness gracious,' and I looked at it, and it said, 'Merchant: Walmart.'"

But when she checked the store number, it was for a Walmart in Austin. Allen shops at the one in Burleson.

"I thought, 'That's kind of strange, because I have not been to Austin,'" she said. "So that put up another red flag for me."

Four different addresses appear on the letter, most of them post office boxes.

The letter told her to call a toll-free number immediately to verify banking information, but Allen said that also tipped her off.

The first time she called the number, she got an automated message that told her the office was closed. The next time she called, she was asked for a reference number. When she gave it, the woman on the phone asked for Allen's phone number and address.

"And I said, 'Well, you're the one that sent this to me. You have that information right there,'' Allen said. "And the lady immediately said, 'Well, if you're not going to give me that, we can't help you.'"